Team S.O.B.E.R. Road To Bexus Workshop!

We’re thrilled to announce that Project S.O.B.E.R. (Space Object Brightness Evaluation and Reference) is preparing for our visit to the ESA REXUS/BEXUS program (Cycle 16)!

Over the last two months, our core team of five expanded to a group of 15 students from diverse academic backgrounds across the globe. Together, we’ve developed an innovative mission addressing the challenges of space debris while aligning with ESA’s Zero Debris policy.

Mission Objectives

🔭 RSO Surveillance at High Altitudes
Measuring the brightness and thermal emissions of Resident Space Objects (RSOs) at 27 km and comparing the data with ground-based observations.

🛠️ Technology Testing
Demonstrating and validating state-of-the-art sensors in collaboration with our industry partners.

Key Milestones

• Sept. 30th: Collaboration initiated during ESA Space Debris Training.
• Oct. 14th: Initial project proposal submitted.
• Nov. 10th: Final proposal submitted.
• Nov. 22nd: Preparation for the Selection Workshop completed.

Our team will present our mission idea next week at ESA/ESTEC during the REXUS/BEXUS Selection Workshop. We’re excited to showcase our project’s potential to a panel of industry experts.

Meet the Team

Core Members: Joshua Amar, Alice-Elena Bucur, Saranga Kaveen Malawanna, Andrei Gherasim, Joost Hubbard, Barnabás Jenofi, Melina Kübler, Miron Ionuț-Robert, Joaquin Philco, Karanpreet R., Marta Scherillo, Lovejivan Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh, Saranya Sivaneshon, Vithurshan Suthakar.

Supervising Professors and Mentors:

• Dr. Vitali Braun (ESA / IMS Space Consultancy GmbH)
• Professor Jean-Pierre Hickey (University of Waterloo)
• Professor Regina Lee (York University)
• Professor Franz Newland (University of Ottawa)
• Professor Steven Young (University of Waterloo)

Industry Partnerships

We’re proud to collaborate with Telops, ABB, and our new partner, Romanian InSpace Engineering (RISE). These partnerships enhance our technical capabilities and strengthen our commitment to promoting sustainable space operations.

Our mission also has broader visibility as we’ve submitted an abstract for the ESA Space Debris Conference (2025), showcasing the innovative aspects of our project and its alignment with global space sustainability goals.

Thank you to everyone supporting us on this journey—we look forward to sharing more updates soon!

#SpaceDebris #SpaceSustainability #TeamSOBER #ESA #REXUSBEXUS